Pate Lake in North Slave Region: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  Pate Lake sits within North Slave Region in Northwest Territories. This is dry open country ground. At roughly 12.13 sq km it ranks among the larger waters in the region. Around 48 km of margin, so directions matter more than a general plan. Behchokǫ̀ is the closest town at 200 km. Yellowknife lies 218 km off, Kugluktuk another 381 km. Rules here are straightforward: one set of provincial rules.

• Where to Fish on Pate Lake

  Without a survey to go on, judge depth from how the bank falls away. A soft bed grows weed late into autumn, which keeps fish shallow. Bays and points beat straight shoreline every time on water like this. North Slave Region records list Arctic grayling, lake trout and slimy sculpin among the fish reported. County records show the wider picture rather than this one place. The shape of Pate Lake decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  July runs about 14°C on average, January about -29°C. The ice season is long here and the open one short. Count on hard cover from midwinter, and open water from early June. From about early June to around mid October, expect open water on the long-run figures. The weeks after the thaw and the ones before the freeze are the strongest. It sets the rhythm of the year at Pate Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  The access position is unclear from public sources. Records list it as a natural water body rather than an impoundment. We find no slipway, car park or made path within a short radius, so treat access as rough. Trout here take small spinners, spoons and, where fly water allows, a nymph or dry. Season dates differ by species, so read the table. Some ground is open by custom rather than by right, so tread carefully. Snare Lake, 26 km away, makes the obvious fallback. Check the position at Pate Lake before loading the car.